Antidote for the Music Major’s Bridge to Nowhere—Use Your Legos

Legos.  You know what they are, little pieces of plastic that have an interlocking system that allows the user to combine them in an infinite number of ways.  With Legos you can make things like buildings or vehicles.  If you don’t like what you make, you can continually try to improve it by rearranging the pieces; or you can take your creation apart and construct something else.  In music and in life, the knowledge and skills, both musical and non-musical, which you have acquired thus far are like Legos.  You put them together to create and build a career.  You build “you.”

Of course there are many musicians whose Lego kit is almost a duplicate of yours.  You will remember those music student statistics from the previous blog.  Your job is to find some pieces that are unique and special.  And just as your first attempt at constructing something with Legos may be insipid, oddly shaped and not very creative, your first attempt with your music career may be similar.  You may find that you are missing some blocks, but through self-study or with a mentor or a teacher you will be able to find what you need.

The point is that if you have musical talent and if you have worked hard to develop it, you have the building blocks necessary to create a career. The first step is to be musically and technically solid on your instrument.  You have to play!  Add to that some entrepreneurial savvy and as Dr. Seuss would say, “You’ll be on your way!”  Remember, your job is to build “You.”